BMC sets up two eco-friendly furnaces at Sion crematorium

The Mumbai civic body has commissioned two eco-friendly furnaces at a cost of Rs 98.88 lakh at a crematorium in Sion area which uses less fuel and time and generates lesser smoke during cremation as compared to the conventional furnaces.

These environment-friendly furnaces operate with 100 to 125 kg wood instead of the normally required 350 to 400 kg and take less than two hours than the usual four hours for cremation, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said in a release.

Smoke generated during combustion in this system is released through a90 to 100 feet high chimney. The smoke passes through a water scrubber, helping in controlling the amount of smoke particles and carbon dioxide released in the air, it said.

"Due to this system's unique method, the furnace consumes less than half the usual amount of wood and takes less time than traditional combustion methods," the BMC said.

The two furnaces were commissioned recently by BMC's public health department and the mechanical and electrical department, the release said.

According to the BMC, in this eco-friendly system, the body is placed in a special trolley with a layer of wood on the top and bottom. The trolley is then pushed into the furnace and its door is closed.

"This causes a huge increase in the temperature inside the furnace. It reaches around 850 to 950 degree Celsius. As a result, cremation is carried out in a relatively short time and with less wood," the civic body said.

The design of this furnace is such that it does not require to be maintained frequently, it said.

The BMC provides cremation facilities, including traditional, electric and gas-based, at 46 places in the city.